Man sentenced to 8 years, faces deportation after pleading guilty to raping teen

Man sentenced to 8 years, faces deportation after pleading guilty to raping teen

Jose Tovilla-Lopez gave girl alcohol, prosecutors say

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Updated: 6:20 PM EDT Jun 2, 2017

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WEBVTT FOR AHORRIFIC CRIME SUCH AS THIS ONE.>> THIS IS LIFE-CHANGING.MY DAUGHTER HAS TO LIVE WITHTHIS FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE,AS WE A DO.REPORTER: JOSE LOPEZ RECEIVED ASENTENCE TODAY AS HE PLEADEDGUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF RAPE.>> FELONY OF THE FIRST DEGREE.A PERIOD OF IMPRISONMENT OFEIGHT YEARS, MANDATORY.REPORTER: THE PROSECUTOR SAY HEWAS FRIENDS WITH THE VICTIM'SFAMILY.>> THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNTOF ALCOHOL CONSUMED BY THEDEFENDANT.AND THE VICTIM IN THIS CASE WASGIVEN ALCOHOL BY THE DEFENDANT.REPORTER: LOPEZ THEN FORCIBLYRAPED THE 15-YEAR-OLD VICTIM.THE MOTHER OF THE VICTIM SAYSTHIS HAS TURNED HER FAMILY'SWORLD UPSIDE DOWN.>> IT'S JUST GONE FROM BAD TOWORSE.MY HUSBAND...HE TAKES OFF, WHEN THE KIDS AREIN SCHOOL, PICKS THEM UP.SO HE MAKES SURE THEY'RE SAFE.HE SETS HIS ALARM, EVERY NIGHT,BETWEEN 1:00 AND 5:00, EVERYHOUR, ON THE HOUR, TO MAKE SURETHE HOUSEHOLD IS SAFE.REPORTER: PROSECUTORS SAY LOPEZWAS IN THE U.S. ILLEGALLY, HADPREVIOUSLY BEEN DEPORTED, ANDSTOL THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBEROF AN ARKANSAS WOMAN TO OBTAI>> AS A FAMILY, AS INDIVIDUALS,YOU GET FRUSTRATED WHEN YOUTHINK THAT, HEY, THIS COULD HAVEBEEN PREVENTED IF ONLY X, Y OR ZWOULD HAVE HAPPENED.I THINK FOR THEM, AND YOU HEARDIT, IF THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEENHERE, THEN THIS COULDN'T HAVEHAPPENED.REPORTER: LOPEZ WILL HAVE TOSERVE OUT THAT EIGHT-YEARSENTENCE HERE IN THE UNITEDSTATES BEFORE FACING POSSIBLEDEPORTATION.

Man sentenced to 8 years, faces deportation after pleading guilty to raping teen

A man has been sentenced to serve eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to rape Friday.

Jose Tovilla-Lopez, 47, is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. He is also in the country illegally, prosecutors said, and faces deportation when he is released from jail.

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“This is life-changing. My daughter has to live with this the rest of her life, as we all do,” said the mother.

The mother of the 15-year-old rape victim calls the eight-year prison sentence “a slap on the wrist” for a horrific crime such as this one.

Tovilla-Lopez received his sentence as he pleaded guilty to one count of rape.

“This is a felony of the first degree. A period of imprisonment of eight years mandatory,” said Judge Victor M. Haddad.

Clermont County Prosecutor Scott O’Reilly said Tovilla-Lopez was friends with the victim’s family.

"There was an extensive amount of alcohol that was consumed that night by the defendant, and the victim in this case was given alcohol by the defendant,” said O'Reilly.

Tovilla-Lopez then forcibly raped the 15-year-old victim, who struggled to stop the sexual assault.

The mother of the victim said this has turned her family’s world upside down.

“It's just gone from bad to worse. My husband takes off when the kids were in school and picks them up so he makes sure they're safe. He sets his alarm every night every hour on the hour to make sure the household's safe,” said the mother.

Prosecutors said Tovilla-Lopez was in the United States illegally, had previously been deported and stole the Social Security number of a 69-year-old Arkansas woman to obtain work in Ohio.

"As a family and as individuals you get frustrated when you think this could have been prevented if X, Y or Z could have happened. You think, 'If they were not here, this couldn't have happened,'” said O’Reilly.

Tovilla-Lopez will have to serve out that eight-year sentence in the United States before facing possibly deportation.

The prosecutor said now that he has been convicted of the rape charge in Ohio, federal officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement can take action regarding his immigration status.